Milwaukee’s lack of home run power stands out even more when you put it next to the biggest prize in the sport. The Brewers own the best record, but they also sit at the very bottom of MLB in home runs this season - a strange combination that opens the door to a bigger question: has a team ever gone all the way with that kind of profile?
The answer is yes, but not often. Five World Series winners have finished a regular season with the fewest home runs in the league, though the pre-Jackie Robinson cases are easier to set aside. That leaves three modern examples worth focusing on.
The first came in 1965, when the Los Angeles Dodgers pulled it off. They won a seven-game World Series against the Brewers, with Sandy Koufax tossing a nine-inning shutout in his third start of the series.
Los Angeles only hit five home runs in that Fall Classic, and over the regular season the Dodgers managed just 78, the lowest total in the league. Koufax was the headliner, but Don Drysdale also played a major role in that identity, accounting for seven of those 78 home runs himself.
Next up were the 1982 St. Louis Cardinals, who also beat the Brewers in seven games.
That club finished with only 67 home runs during the regular season and added four more in the World Series. Power was never their calling card; they came close to matching their home run total with doubles in another category, stacking up 52 triples over the year.
Then there were the early 2010s San Francisco Giants, a team that won the World Series by sweeping the Detroit Tigers. Their 103 home runs were the highest total of the three examples, but the bigger point is how the game has changed. That season, the New York Yankees led MLB with 245 home runs, while the Baltimore Orioles and Chicago White Sox each doubled the Giants’ total.
The lesson is pretty clear: a team with a Hall of Fame rotation and enough timely hitting can still win it all without living off the long ball. And if the league is ever going to produce another outlier like that, it won’t be shocking when it happens.
In Other News...
Garrett Mitchell Gave Brewers Fans A Classy Moment On National TV
Sunday nights Brewers-Braves matchup carried a little extra sentiment beyond the score, thanks to Karl Ravechs final broadcast on Sunday Night Baseball. The longtime ESPN voice, who has been part of the network since 1993 and has covered everything from Major League Baseball to the Little League World Series, was recognized during the telecast as he wrapped up three decades in sports media.
Both Chris Sale and Garrett Mitchell made sure to publicly thank Ravech on the air, a classy touch in the middle of a nationally televised game. It was the kind of moment that reminded viewers the Brewers were part of something bigger than one nights box score, even as the broadcast quietly turned into a farewell for one of ESPNs most familiar voices. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Now Wait On Garrett Mitchell After Scary Exit
Garrett Mitchells night ended early in the Little League Classic after a 94 mph fastball caught him on the right forearm, sending the Brewers outfielder out of the game with a contusion. It was an ugly moment in a showcase setting, but the immediate news afterward offered some relief, as X-rays came back negative and pointed away from anything more serious.
Now Milwaukee is left waiting to see how quickly Mitchell can get back to normal and back into the lineup. The expectation is that he should recover soon, though the Brewers may have to make do without him for a short stretch while the soreness settles down and the team monitors how he responds. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers May Soon Face A Tough Rotation Call With Coleman Crow
The Brewers have reached the point in the season where the rotation picture is mostly clear, even if a few decisions still loom. Jacob Misiorowski, Kyle Harrison, Logan Henderson and Dustin May appear to have the top four spots in place, while Shane Drohan is expected to shift to the bullpen. Robert Gassers hold on a rotation job looks less certain after some recent struggles, leaving Milwaukee with a small but meaningful opening to monitor.
One name that keeps surfacing is Coleman Crow, whose performance in Triple-A has put him in position to force the issue. The rookie could work his way into the rotation mix or simply be an obvious call-up when rosters expand in September, giving the Brewers another arm to consider as they sort through the back end of the staff. Brandon Woodruffs rehab remains a factor in the bigger picture, but his long ramp-up makes it unlikely he changes the regular-season equation anytime soon. [Read more 🡒]